Service improvements

London Borough of Lewisham

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 11 - 20 of 22 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for London Borough of Lewisham as a CSV file.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 019 471)

    Category: Education Date: 09-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council delayed completing his daughter, Y’s, Education, Health and Care needs assessment. He complained the Council denied the opportunity to meet him twice and issued the plan without his agreement. Mr X said Y did not have the provision she needed and the situation distressed the family. There was fault in the way the Council delayed issuing Y’s plan, did not agree to meet with him and did not follow its complaint process. This distressed Mr X, frustrated his appeal rights to the Tribunal and Y missed plan provision. Mr X was also put to time and trouble to complain. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a financial payment and provide guidance to its staff.

    Service improvements

    Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.Remind relevant staff of the Council’s duties and responsibilities regarding EHC Plan’s and needs assessments.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 019 302)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 16-Jul-2024

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for failing to investigate Ms X’s complaint about the support she received as a Care Leaver at stage two of the statutory complaint procedure for complaints about children’s services. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X, investigate the complaint, and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that the Council must complete the children’s statutory complaints procedure once started.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 018 381)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Ms Q complained about the Council’s handling of her housing application and assessment of medical priority. She said she experienced distress due to the impact her housing circumstances had on her. We found the Council at fault for causing significant delays in her 2022 request for medical priority, but no fault in the process it followed to reach its decision, it therefore reached decisions it was entitled to make. The Council will apologise to Ms Q, back date her medical priority start date, and make payment to acknowledge the injustice its delays caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review how it informs applicants about their rights of review following a medical priority decision, and ensure relevant staff are aware of the process to ensure they can provide the necessary information to applicants when decisions or requests are made.The Council will review its practice for priority start dates when it completes assessments or processes information against its Housing Allocation Scheme and Find Your Home Policy. This is to ensure: 1.it is consistent in how the start date for priority is applied; and 2.applicants are not unfairly disadvantaged in circumstances where the Council causes delays in considering applicants reports of changes of circumstances or requests for medical priority.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 016 778)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 16-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mr B complained the Council’s Care Act review of his care and support needs was flawed, and it wrongly ended his direct payment as a result. We found fault in the way the Council reached its decision as it failed to properly consider Mr B’s personal circumstances and evidence available to the Council before it reached its decision. The Council will apologise to Mr B and make payment to acknowledge the distress, uncertainty and loss of care support he experienced.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind its Adult Social Care staff and managers conducting Care Act assessments or reviews of the requirement to properly consider service users views, their personal circumstances and relevant information from health professionals, and base its decisions on well considered and reasoned grounds in line with the Care and Support statutory guidance.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 015 552)

    Category: Education Date: 10-Oct-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council has failed to provide a suitable full-time education for her son. And that the Council delayed in completing a review / re-assessment of her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs and in issuing and amended final EHC Plan. We found the Council made a suitable offer of education pending a re-assessment of Miss X’s son’s needs. However the failure to complete the re-assessment and issue a final EHC Plan within the statutory timeframe is fault. This fault has caused Miss X an injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to issue written reminders to relevant officers about the statutory timescales for completing EHC needs assessments and EHC Plans and the need to comply with these timescales.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 014 834)

    Category: Housing Date: 07-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s delay in completing his medical assessment and re-assessing his priority band on the housing register. He also complained it failed to act on an adjudicator’s recommendations. We have found fault by the Council, causing injustice, in its delay in completing Mr X’s medical assessment and its failures to: consider expediting the assessment; act on the adjudicator’s recommendations; and inform Mr X of his review rights. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising, making a payment to reflect Mr X’s distress and uncertainty, considering the exercise of management discretion about his priority band, and making service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind officers of the process they should follow when they receive medical information which may justify a transfer or increased priority, and the process for expediting a medical assessmentThe Council has agreed to review its procedures for notifying applicants of decisions about their housing applications to ensure they are informed of their right to request a review of these decisions.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 014 793)

    Category: Planning Date: 28-Apr-2024

    Summary

    X complained the Council failed to protect their amenity when it did not decide a prior approval planning application within the legal time limit. X said because of this, they have an overbearing development built on the shared boundary. Based on the evidence seen so far, there was fault causing injustice that should be remedied.

    Service improvements

    The Council intended to refuse a planning application because of the impact it would have on the complainant's home, but did not make its decision within the required time limit. The Council will carry out a review of working practice and procedure and make any improvements necessary to avoid the same fault happening again.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 014 778)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 04-Sep-2024

    Summary

    We consider London Borough of Lewisham and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust did not appropriately seek the views of Mrs Y’s supported accommodation before deciding she could not return there from hospital. Also, the Council did not carry out a Mental Capacity Act assessment and best interest decision in line with the relevant guidance. That caused Mrs Y’s son, Mr D, uncertainty. The Council and Trust should apologise and make a symbolic payment to Mr D to recognise his injustice. They should also carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council should ensure relevant staff are aware of the importance of considering the Code when assessing someone's capacity and making best interest decisions. That includes involving relatives and lasting powers of attorney.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 013 222)

    Category: Housing Date: 04-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Ms F complained about the Council’s handling of her housing register application since 2021 and how it communicated with her. She said as a result she experienced distress and lost out on moves to a suitable property. We agreed with the Council it was at fault for causing an extensive delay in Ms F’s housing application, for its poor communication and its delayed complaints handling. However, its apology and proposed remedy was not enough to acknowledge the injustice this caused Ms F. The Council should make payment to Ms F and provide us with an update on staff training.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an update on the roll out of its scheduled training to complaints handling staff, which aims to avoid delays and improve responses.

  • London Borough of Lewisham (23 013 092)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 02-May-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council reduced care and support hours for her adult son, Mr Y, without any reassessment of his needs or a review of his care and support plan when he went into supported living accommodation. The Council was at fault which caused Ms X and Mr Y distress and uncertainty. The Council will apologise and pay Ms X and Mr Y a symbolic payment to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff that support should not be reduced unless this is based on a needs assessment and care and support plan.

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